Semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

To provide a semiconductor memory device which can be manufactured with high yield and which can achieve higher integration. A pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is connected to a bit line through a common contact hole. The pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction shares an electrode connected to the bit line. An oxide semiconductor layer included in the memory cell is provided to overlap with a word line and a capacitor line. A transistor and a capacitor included in the memory cell are each provided to overlap with the bit line connected to the memory cell.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. In addition, the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. In particular, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a display device, a light-emitting device, a memory device, a driving method thereof, or a manufacturing method thereof. In particular, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device.

In this specification, a semiconductor device generally means a device which can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. A display device, an electro-optical device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device include a semiconductor device in some cases.

2. Description of the Related Art

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is widely used as a main memory device of a semiconductor device. DRAM has high degree of integration and large storage capacity per unit area. However, since DRAM is a volatile memory, regular refresh operation is required to hold stored data for a long period.

In recent years, use of an oxide semiconductor for a transistor in a memory cell included in DRAM is suggested. Since the off-state current of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region can be low, the interval between refresh operations can be significantly increased. Thus, power consumption of DRAM can be reduced (see Patent Document 1).

REFERENCE Patent Document [Patent Document 1] Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2011-109084 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A conventional DRAM is mainly manufactured using a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon wafer, and transistors included in DRAM are mainly formed using a semiconductor substrate. That is, channel formation regions of transistors included in DRAM are provided in a semiconductor substrate.

On the other hand, a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor has a structure different from that of a transistor in which a channel is formed in a silicon wafer in that a layer containing an oxide semiconductor is formed by deposition. Thus, it is difficult to directly apply a method for manufacturing a transistor in which a channel is formed in a silicon wafer to manufacture of a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor. Therefore, in the case where DRAM is manufactured using an oxide semiconductor, a structure different from that in a convectional DRAM needs to be used.

For example, in the case where extremely minute processing is performed on a relatively thin film formed by deposition such as an oxide semiconductor layer, at the time of forming a transistor, a defect such as film peeling might occur due to insufficient adhesion of a film or the like when the size after the processing is too small.

Thus, a structure which realizes a semiconductor device having a high degree of integration and using a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor is required. In other words, a structure in which a transistor where a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor is used and extremely minute processing can be stably performed is required.

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve the degree of integration in a semiconductor device using a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor.

Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel structure in which extremely minute processing can be stably performed and the degree of integration can be increased in a semiconductor device using a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor. Another object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a novel semiconductor device.

Note that the description of these objects does not disturb the existence of other objects. In one embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to achieve all the objects. Other objects will be apparent from and can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like.

One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device in which a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is connected to the same bit line through a common contact hole in a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells. That is, a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction shares a contact hole for connection to a bit line.

One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device in which a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction shares an electrode connected to a bit line in a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells. The electrode serves as a source electrode or a drain electrode of a transistor included in the memory cell.

One embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device in which an oxide semiconductor layer of a transistor included in a memory cell overlaps with a word line and a capacitor line which are connected to the memory cell.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a first transistor including a first gate, an oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the first gate, a first electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer, and a second electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; a first capacitor electrically connected to the first electrode; a second transistor including a second gate, the oxide semiconductor layer overlapping with the second gate, the second electrode, and a third electrode electrically connected to the oxide semiconductor layer; a second capacitor electrically connected to the third electrode; an insulating film over the first transistor, the first capacitor, the second transistor, and the second capacitor; and a wiring over the insulating film. The wiring is electrically connected to the second electrode through a contact hole in the insulating film.

In the above structure, the oxide semiconductor layer may overlap with the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

In any of the above structures, the first transistor, the first capacitor, the second transistor, and the second capacitor may overlap with the wiring.

In any of the above structures, the first gate may overlap with the first electrode and the second electrode and the second gate may overlap with the second electrode and the third electrode.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes an oxide semiconductor layer; a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode over the oxide semiconductor layer; a first insulating film over the oxide semiconductor layer, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode; a first wiring which is over the first insulating film and overlaps with the first electrode; a second wiring which is over the first insulating film and is between the first electrode and the second electrode; a third wiring which is over the first insulating film and is between the second electrode and the third electrode; a fourth wiring which is over the first insulating film and overlaps with the third electrode; a second insulating film over the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring; and a fifth wiring over the second insulating film. The fifth wiring is electrically connected to the second electrode through a contact hole in the first insulating film and the second insulating film.

In the above structure, the oxide semiconductor layer may overlap with the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring.

In any of the above structures, the fifth wiring may overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer, the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode, the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring.

In any of the above structures, the second wiring may overlap with the first electrode and the second electrode and the third wiring may overlap with the second electrode and the third electrode.

In any of the above structures, the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode may each be in contact with side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer.

In any of the above structures, the first insulating film may be in contact with the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode.

In any of the above structures, the oxide semiconductor layer may include indium and zinc.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device having a high degree of integration can be provided.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a novel structure in which extremely minute processing can be stably performed in a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device can be provided. Note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to these effects. For example, depending on circumstances or conditions, one embodiment of the present invention might produce another effect.

Furthermore, depending on circumstances or conditions, one embodiment of the present invention might not produce any of the above effects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A to 2D are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A to 3E illustrate a manufacturing method of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A to 4D are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A to 5D are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A to 6E illustrate a manufacturing method of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 7A to 7C are a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the present invention and circuit diagrams of part thereof; and

FIGS. 8A to 8D are perspective views illustrating one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to drawings. Note that the embodiments can be implemented with various modes. It will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modes and details can be changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the following description of the embodiments. Note that in structures of the present invention described below, reference numerals denoting the same portions are used in common in different drawings.

In the drawings, the size, the layer thickness, or the region is exaggerated for clarity in some cases. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to such scales. Note that the drawings are schematic views showing ideal examples, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited to shapes or values shown in the drawings. For example, the following can be included: variation in signal, voltage, or current due to noise or difference in timing.

In this specification and the like, a transistor is an element having at least three terminals: a gate, a drain, and a source. The transistor includes a channel formation region between the drain (a drain terminal, a drain region, or a drain electrode) and the source (a source terminal, a source region, or a source electrode) and current can flow through the drain, the channel formation region, and the source.

In this specification and the like, the term “parallel” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to −10° and less than or equal to 10°, and accordingly also includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to −5° and less than or equal to 5°. In addition, the term “perpendicular” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°, and accordingly includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to 85° and less than or equal to 95°.

In this specification and the like, the trigonal and rhombohedral crystal systems are included in the hexagonal crystal system.

Here, since the source and the drain of the transistor change depending on the structure, the operating condition, and the like of the transistor, it is difficult to define which is a source or a drain. Thus, a portion that functions as a source or a portion that functions as a drain is not referred to as a source or a drain in some cases. In that case, one of the source and the drain might be referred to as a first electrode, and the other of the source and the drain might be referred to as a second electrode.

Note that in this specification, ordinal numbers such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used in order to avoid confusion among components, and thus do not limit the number of the components.

Note that in this specification, the phrase “A and B are connected” or “A is connected to B” means the case where A and B are electrically connected to each other as well as the case where A and B are directly connected to each other. Here, the phrase “A and B are electrically connected” or “A is electrically connected to B” means the following case: when an object having any electrical function exists between A and B, an electric signal can be transmitted and received between A and B.

Note that in this specification, terms for describing arrangement, such as “over” and “below”, are used for convenience for describing the positional relation between components with reference to drawings. Further, the positional relation between components is changed as appropriate in accordance with a direction in which each component is described. Thus, the positional relation is not limited to that described with a term used in this specification and can be explained with another term as appropriate depending on the situation.

Note that the positional relations of circuit blocks in block diagrams are specified for description, and even in the case where different circuit blocks are shown to have different functions, the circuit blocks might be provided in an actual circuit or an actual region so that different functions are achieved in the same circuit or the same region. The functions of circuit blocks in block diagrams are specified for description, and even in the case where one circuit block is illustrated, circuit blocks might be provided in an actual circuit or an actual region so that processing shown to be performed by one circuit block is performed by a plurality of circuit blocks.

Embodiment 1

In this embodiment, a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing method thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIGS. 2A to 2D, and FIGS. 3A to 3E.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a circuit diagram of a memory cell array included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention.

A memory cell array 10 includes a plurality of memory cells.

A memory cell 100(m, n) included in the memory cell array 10 is electrically connected to a word line driver circuit 160 through a word line 105 _(—) m and to a bit line driver circuit 170 through a bit line 109 _(—) n. The memory cell 100(m, n) includes a transistor 130(m, n) and a capacitor 150(m, n). Here, m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to (x−1) and n is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to y. Note that x is a natural number greater than or equal to 2 and y is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

In a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention, a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is electrically connected to the same bit line through a common contact hole. For example, the memory cell 100(m, n) and a memory cell 100(m+1, n) are electrically connected to the bit line 109 _(—) n through a common contact hole.

Examples of a structure and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2D and FIGS. 3A to 3E.

FIGS. 2A to 2D are a top view and cross-sectional views of part of a memory cell array of a semiconductor memory device as an example of a semiconductor memory device of one embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 2A is a top view, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along A-B in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along C-D in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional view taken along E-F in FIG. 2A.

FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate the memory cell 100(m, n), the memory cell 100(m+1, n), the word line 105 _(—) m, a word line 105 _(—) m+1, a capacitor line 106 _(—) m, a capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, the bit line 109 n, and a bit line 109 n+1 which are included in the memory cell array 10. The memory cell 100(m, n) includes the transistor 130(m, n) and the capacitor 150(m, n). Similarly, the memory cell 100(m+1, n) includes a transistor 130(m+1, n) and a capacitor 150(m+1, n).

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are provided in parallel to each other, and the bit line 109 _(—) n and the bit line 109 _(—) n+1 are provided along the direction perpendicular to the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. Note that in FIG. 2A, the other components are omitted for simplification.

In this embodiment, the memory cell 100(m, n) and the memory cell 100(m+1, n) share part of the structure. Hereinafter, description is made with reference to the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 2B to 2D.

A semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention includes an oxide semiconductor layer 101, an electrode 102, an electrode 103 a, an electrode 103 b, an insulating film 104, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, an insulating film 107, an insulating film 108, and the bit line 109 _(—) n (see FIG. 2B).

The oxide semiconductor layer 101 includes channel formation regions of the transistor 130(m, n) and the transistor 130(m+1, n), and each of the channel formation regions overlaps with the bit line 109 _(—) n. The channel formation region of the transistor 130(m, n) is a region of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 between the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 a, and the channel formation region of the transistor 130(m+1, n) is a region of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 between the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 b.

Furthermore, the transistor 130(m, n) and the capacitor 150(m, n) share the electrode 103 a. In other words, the electrode 103 a serves as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 130(m, n) and one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor 150(m, n).

Similarly, the transistor 130(m+1, n) and the capacitor 150(m+1, n) share the electrode 103 b. In other words, the electrode 103 b serves as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 130(m+1, n) and one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor 150(m+1, n).

On the other hand, the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 a serve as the source electrode and the drain electrode of the transistor 130(m, n) and the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 b serve as the source electrode and the drain electrode of the transistor 130(m+1, n). That is, the transistor 130(m, n) and the transistor 130(m+1, n) share the electrode 102.

The word line 105 _(—) m also serves as a gate of the transistor 130(m, n) and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m also serves as the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 150(m, n).

Similarly, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 serves as a gate of the transistor 130(m+1, n) and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 also serves as the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 150(m+1, n).

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, the transistor 130(m, n), the capacitor 150(m, n), the transistor 130(m+1, n), and the capacitor 150(m+1, n) are provided to overlap with the bit line 109 _(—) n and the channel length direction of the transistor 130(m, n) and that of the transistor 130(m+1, n) are parallel to the bit line 109 _(—) n.

The bit line 109 _(—) n is electrically connected to the electrode 102 through the contact hole 110 provided in the insulating film 104, the insulating film 107, and the insulating film 108.

The oxide semiconductor layer 101 is provided to overlap with not only the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b but also the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, and the contact hole 110. In other words, the electrode 103 a and the insulating film 104 are located between the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the electrode 103 b and the insulating film 104 are located between the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. The electrode 102 is located between the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the bit line 109 _(—) n.

The capacitor line 106 _(—) m is provided to face not only a top surface of the electrode 103 a but also side surfaces of the electrode 103 a and side surfaces the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 2C).

Furthermore, the word line 105 _(—) m is provided to face not only a top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 2D).

Similarly, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is provided to face not only a top surface of the electrode 103 b but also side surfaces of the electrode 103 b and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101. The word line 105 _(—) m+1 is provided to face not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (not illustrated).

When a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is electrically connected to the same bit line through a common contact hole, the area occupied by the memory cell can be reduced, so that higher integration of the memory cell array can be achieved.

Furthermore, by providing the oxide semiconductor layer 101 to overlap with the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, and the contact hole 110, the area occupied by the oxide semiconductor layer 101 in the memory cell 100(m, n) and the memory cell 100(m+1, n) can be increased without an increase in the size of the memory cell. Thus, even in the case where minute processing is performed, the oxide semiconductor layer can be processed precisely.

Next, a method for manufacturing the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D is described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3E.

First, the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed (see FIG. 3A). The oxide semiconductor layer 101 may be formed on an insulating surface. As examples of the insulating surface on which the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed, a surface of a substrate having an insulating property and a surface of an insulating film can be given.

Although there is no particular limitation on a material that can be used as the substrate having an insulating property, it is necessary that the material have at least heat resistance high enough to withstand heat treatment to be performed later. For example, a glass substrate formed by a fusion process or a float process, a quartz substrate, or a ceramic substrate can be used. In the case where the temperature of the heat treatment to be performed later is high, a glass substrate whose strain point is 730° C. or higher is preferably used as a glass substrate. Although a substrate formed of a flexible synthetic resin such as plastic generally has a lower heat resistance temperature than the aforementioned substrates, it may be used as long as being resistant to a processing temperature during manufacturing steps.

As the insulating film, an insulating film containing silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, gallium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, or the like may be used. Note that in this specification and the like, “silicon oxynitride” contains more oxygen than nitrogen, and “silicon nitride oxide” contains more nitrogen than oxygen.

The oxide semiconductor layer 101 is a layer containing an oxide semiconductor. An oxide semiconductor preferably contains at least indium (In) or zinc (Zn). In particular, In and Zn are preferably contained. A stabilizer for strongly bonding oxygen is preferably contained in addition to In and Zn. As a stabilizer, at least one of gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and aluminum (Al) may be contained.

As another stabilizer, one or plural kinds of lanthanoid such as lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu) may be contained.

As an oxide semiconductor used for the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor, for example, any of the following can be used: indium oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, an In—Zn-based oxide, a Sn—Zn-based oxide, an Al—Zn-based oxide, a Zn—Mg-based oxide, a Sn—Mg-based oxide, an In—Mg-based oxide, an In—Ga-based oxide, an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide (also referred to as IGZO), an In—Al—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sn—Zn-based oxide, a Sn—Ga—Zn-based oxide, an Al—Ga—Zn-based oxide, a Sn—Al—Zn-based oxide, an In—Hf—Zn-based oxide, an In—Zr—Zn-based oxide, an In—Ti—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sc—Zn-based oxide, an In—Y—Zn-based oxide, an In—La—Zn-based oxide, an In—Ce—Zn-based oxide, an In—Pr—Zn-based oxide, an In—Nd—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sm—Zn-based oxide, an In—Eu—Zn-based oxide, an In—Gd—Zn-based oxide, an In—Tb—Zn-based oxide, an In—Dy—Zn-based oxide, an In—Ho—Zn-based oxide, an In—Er—Zn-based oxide, an In—Tm—Zn-based oxide, an In—Yb—Zn-based oxide, an In—Lu—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sn—Ga—Zn-based oxide, an In—Hf—Ga—Zn-based oxide, an In—Al—Ga—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sn—Al—Zn-based oxide, an In—Sn—Hf—Zn-based oxide, and an In—Hf—Al—Zn-based oxide.

For example, an In—Ga—Zn-based oxide with an atomic ratio of In:Ga:Zn=1:1:1, In:Ga:Zn=3:1:2, or In:Ga:Zn=2:1:3, or an oxide with an atomic ratio close to the above atomic ratios can be used.

When the oxide semiconductor film forming the oxide semiconductor layer contains a large amount of hydrogen, the hydrogen and the oxide semiconductor are bonded to each other, so that part of the hydrogen serves as a donor and causes generation of an electron which is a carrier. As a result, the threshold voltage of the transistor shifts in the negative direction. Therefore, it is preferable that, after formation of the oxide semiconductor film, dehydration treatment (also referred to as dehydrogenation treatment) be performed to remove hydrogen or moisture from the oxide semiconductor film so that the oxide semiconductor film is highly purified to contain impurities as little as possible.

Note that oxygen in the oxide semiconductor film is also reduced by the dehydration treatment (dehydrogenation treatment) in some cases. Therefore, it is preferable that oxygen be added to the oxide semiconductor film to fill oxygen vacancies increased by the dehydration treatment (dehydrogenation treatment). In this specification and the like, supplying oxygen to an oxide semiconductor film may be expressed as oxygen adding treatment, and treatment for making the oxygen content of an oxide semiconductor film be in excess of that in the stoichiometric composition may be expressed as treatment for making an oxygen-excess state.

In this manner, hydrogen or moisture is removed from the oxide semiconductor film by the dehydration treatment (dehydrogenation treatment) and oxygen vacancies therein are filled by the oxygen adding treatment, whereby the oxide semiconductor film can be turned into an i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor film which is extremely close to an i-type oxide semiconductor film. Note that “substantially intrinsic” means that the oxide semiconductor film contains extremely few (close to zero) carriers derived from a donor and has a carrier density of lower than or equal to 1×10¹⁷/cm³, lower than or equal to 1×10¹⁶/cm³, lower than or equal to 1×10¹⁵/cm³, lower than or equal to 1×10¹⁴/cm³, or lower than or equal to 1-10¹³/cm^(3.)

In this manner, the transistor including an i-type or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor film can have extremely favorable off-state current characteristics. For example, the drain current at the time when the transistor including an oxide semiconductor film is in an off-state at room temperature (approximately 25° C.) can be less than or equal to 1×10⁻¹⁸ A, preferably less than or equal to 1×10⁻²¹ A, more preferably 1×10⁻²⁴ A; or at 85° C., less than or equal to 1×10⁻¹⁵ A, preferably 1×10⁻¹⁸ A, more preferably less than or equal to 1×10⁻²¹ A. An off state of a transistor refers to a state where a gate voltage is much lower than the threshold voltage in an n-channel transistor. Specifically, when the gate voltage is lower than the threshold voltage by 1 V or more, 2 V or more, or 3 V or more, the transistor is off

A structure of the oxide semiconductor film is described below.

An oxide semiconductor film is classified roughly into a single-crystal oxide semiconductor film and a non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor film. The non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor film includes any of a c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (CAAC-OS) film, a polycrystalline oxide semiconductor film, a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film, an amorphous oxide semiconductor film, and the like.

First, a CAAC-OS film is described.

The CAAC-OS film is one of oxide semiconductor films including a plurality of c-axis aligned crystal parts.

In a transmission electron microscope (TEM) image of the CAAC-OS film, it is difficult to clearly observe a boundary between crystal parts, that is, a grain boundary. Thus, in the CAAC-OS film, a reduction in electron mobility due to the grain boundary is less likely to occur.

According to the TEM image of the CAAC-OS film observed in a direction substantially parallel to a sample surface (cross-sectional TEM image), metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner in the crystal parts. Each metal atom layer has a morphology reflecting a surface over which the CAAC-OS film is formed (hereinafter, a surface over which the CAAC-OS film is formed is referred to as a formation surface) or a top surface of the CAAC-OS film, and is arranged in parallel to the formation surface or the top surface of the CAAC-OS film.

On the other hand, according to the TEM image of the CAAC-OS film observed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the sample surface (plan-view TEM image), metal atoms are arranged in a triangular or hexagonal configuration in the crystal parts. However, there is no regularity of arrangement of metal atoms between different crystal parts.

From the results of the cross-sectional TEM image and the plan-view TEM image, alignment is found in the crystal parts in the CAAC-OS film.

Most of the crystal parts included in the CAAC-OS film each fit inside a cube whose one side is less than 100 nm. Thus, there is a case where a crystal part included in the CAAC-OS film fits inside a cube whose one side is less than 10 nm, less than 5 nm, or less than 3 nm. Note that when a plurality of crystal parts included in the CAAC-OS film are connected to each other, one large crystal region is formed in some cases. For example, a crystal region with an area of 2500 nm² or more, 5 μm² or more, or 1000 μm² or more is observed in some cases in the plan-view TEM image.

A CAAC-OS film is subjected to structural analysis with an X-ray diffraction (XRD) apparatus. For example, when the CAAC-OS film including an InGaZnO₄ crystal is analyzed by an out-of-plane method, a peak appears frequently when the diffraction angle (2θ) is around 31°. This peak is derived from the (009) plane of the InGaZnO₄ crystal, which indicates that crystals in the CAAC-OS film have c-axis alignment, and that the c-axes are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface of the CAAC-OS film.

On the other hand, when the CAAC-OS film is analyzed by an in-plane method in which an X-ray enters a sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to the c-axis, a peak appears frequently when 2θ is around 56°. This peak is derived from the (110) plane of the InGaZnO₄ crystal. Here, analysis (φ scan) is performed under conditions where the sample is rotated around a normal vector of a sample surface as an axis (φ axis) with 2θ fixed at around 56°. In the case where the sample is a single-crystal oxide semiconductor film of InGaZnO₄, six peaks appear. The six peaks are derived from crystal planes equivalent to the (110) plane. On the other hand, in the case of a CAAC-OS film, a peak is not clearly observed even when φ scan is performed with 2θ fixed at around 56°.

According to the above results, in the CAAC-OS film having c-axis alignment, while the directions of a-axes and b-axes are different between crystal parts, the c-axes are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a formation surface or a normal vector of a top surface. Thus, each metal atom layer arranged in a layered manner observed in the cross-sectional TEM image corresponds to a plane parallel to the a-b plane of the crystal.

Note that the crystal part is formed concurrently with deposition of the CAAC-OS film or is formed through crystallization treatment such as heat treatment. As described above, the c-axis of the crystal is aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a formation surface or a normal vector of a top surface. Thus, for example, in the case where the shape of the CAAC-OS film is changed by etching or the like, the c-axis might not be necessarily parallel to a normal vector of a formation surface or a normal vector of a top surface of the CAAC-OS film.

Furthermore, distribution of c-axis aligned crystal parts in the CAAC-OS film is not necessarily uniform. For example, in the case where crystal growth leading to the crystal parts of the CAAC-OS film occurs from the vicinity of the top surface of the film, the proportion of the c-axis aligned crystal parts in the vicinity of the top surface is higher than that in the vicinity of the formation surface in some cases. Furthermore, when an impurity is added to the CAAC-OS film, a region to which the impurity is added is altered, and the proportion of the c-axis aligned crystal parts in the CAAC-OS film varies depending on regions, in some cases.

Note that when the CAAC-OS film with an InGaZnO₄ crystal is analyzed by an out-of-plane method, a peak of 2θ may also be observed at around 36°, in addition to the peak of 2θ at around 31°. The peak of 2θ at around 36° indicates that a crystal having no c-axis alignment is included in part of the CAAC-OS film. It is preferable that in the CAAC-OS film, a peak of 2θ appear at around 31° and a peak of 2θ not appear at around 36°.

The CAAC-OS film is an oxide semiconductor film having a low impurity concentration. The impurity is an element other than the main components of the oxide semiconductor film, such as hydrogen, carbon, silicon, or a transition metal element. In particular, an element that has higher bonding strength to oxygen than a metal element included in the oxide semiconductor film, such as silicon, disturbs the atomic arrangement of the oxide semiconductor film by depriving the oxide semiconductor film of oxygen and causes a decrease in crystallinity. Further, a heavy metal such as iron or nickel, argon, carbon dioxide, or the like has a large atomic radius (molecular radius), and thus disturbs the atomic arrangement of the oxide semiconductor film and causes a decrease in crystallinity when it is contained in the oxide semiconductor film. Note that the impurity contained in the oxide semiconductor film might serve as a carrier trap or a carrier generation source.

The CAAC-OS film is an oxide semiconductor film having a low density of defect states. In some cases, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor film serve as carrier traps or serve as carrier generation sources when hydrogen is captured therein.

The state in which impurity concentration is low and density of defect states is low (the number of oxygen vacancies is small) is referred to as a “highly purified intrinsic” or “substantially highly purified intrinsic” state. A highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor film has few carrier generation sources, and thus can have a low carrier density. Thus, a transistor including the oxide semiconductor film rarely has negative threshold voltage (is rarely normally on). The highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor film has few carrier traps. Accordingly, the transistor including the oxide semiconductor film has little variation in electrical characteristics and high reliability. Electric charge trapped by the carrier traps in the oxide semiconductor film takes a long time to be released, and might behave like fixed electric charge. Thus, the transistor which includes the oxide semiconductor film having high impurity concentration and a high density of defect states has unstable electrical characteristics in some cases.

With the use of the CAAC-OS film in a transistor, variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistor due to irradiation with visible light or ultraviolet light is small.

Next, a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film is described.

In an image obtained with the TEM, it is difficult to observe crystal parts clearly in the microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film in some cases. In most cases, the size of a crystal part in the microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, or greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm. A microcrystal with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, or a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm is specifically referred to as nanocrystal (nc). An oxide semiconductor film including nanocrystal is referred to as a nanocrystalline oxide semiconductor (nc-OS) film. In an image obtained with TEM, it is difficult to find a grain boundary clearly in the nc-OS film in some cases.

In the nc-OS film, a microscopic region (for example, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, in particular, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm) has a periodic atomic order. Note that there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different crystal parts in the nc-OS film. Thus, the orientation of the whole film is not observed. Accordingly, in some cases, the nc-OS film cannot be distinguished from an amorphous oxide semiconductor film depending on an analysis method. For example, when the nc-OS film is subjected to structural analysis by an out-of-plane method with an XRD apparatus using an X-ray having a diameter larger than that of a crystal part, a peak which shows a crystal plane does not appear. Furthermore, a halo pattern is shown in an electron diffraction pattern (also referred to as a selected-area electron diffraction pattern) of the nc-OS film obtained by using an electron beam having a probe diameter (e.g., greater than or equal to 50 nm) larger than the diameter of a crystal part. Meanwhile, spots are shown in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-OS film obtained by using an electron beam having a probe diameter (e.g., greater than or equal to 1 nm and smaller than or equal to 30 nm) close to, or smaller than or equal to the diameter of a crystal part. Furthermore, in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-OS film, regions with high luminance in a circular (ring) pattern are observed in some cases. Also in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-OS film, a plurality of spots are shown in a ring-like region in some cases.

The nc-OS film is an oxide semiconductor film that has high regularity as compared to an amorphous oxide semiconductor film. Therefore, the nc-OS film has a lower density of defect states than an amorphous oxide semiconductor film. Note that there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different crystal parts in the nc-OS film. Therefore, the nc-OS film has a higher density of defect states than the CAAC-OS film.

Note that an oxide semiconductor film may be a stacked film including two or more kinds of an amorphous oxide semiconductor film, a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor film, and a CAAC-OS film, for example.

The oxide semiconductor layer 101 can be formed in such a manner that the above-described oxide semiconductor film is formed and selectively removed by etching.

Next, the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b are formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 3B). The electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b can be formed at the same time in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and selectively removed by etching.

The electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b are not limited to a single conductive film, and may have a structure in which a plurality of conductive films are stacked. The plurality of conductive films may have different materials. As the conductive film, at least one of elements such as aluminum, chromium, copper, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, iridium, and tin is contained as its main component. Furthermore, the conductive film can be formed using an oxide or nitride thereof as long as it has conductivity. As examples thereof, an indium tin oxide (ITO), tantalum nitride, and titanium nitride can be given.

Next, the insulating film 104 covering the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b is formed.

The insulating film 104 can be formed by a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like. The insulating film 104 is preferably formed so as to contain silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, gallium oxide, aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, hafnium oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium silicate (HfSi_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)), hafnium silicate (HfSi_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)) to which nitrogen is added, hafnium aluminate (HfAl_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)) to which nitrogen is added, or the like. The insulating film 104 may have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using any of the above materials. There is no particular limitation on the thickness; however, in the case where the memory device is miniaturized, the thickness of the insulating layer is preferably small for ensuring operation of the transistor. For example, in the case where silicon oxide is used, the thickness can be set to greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm.

When the insulating film is thin as in the above description, a problem of gate leakage due to a tunneling effect or the like is caused. In order to solve the problem of gate leakage, the insulating film 104 may be formed using a high dielectric constant (high-k) material such as hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium silicate (HfSi_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)), hafnium silicate (HfSi_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)) to which nitrogen is added, or hafnium aluminate (HfAl_(x)O_(y) (x>0, y>0)) to which nitrogen is added. By using a high-k material for the insulating film 104, the thickness of the insulating film 104 can be large to prevent gate leakage. Note that a stacked structure of a film containing a high-k material and a film containing any of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, and the like may be employed.

Furthermore, the insulating film 104 may be formed using an insulating material containing a Group 13 element and oxygen. Many oxide semiconductor materials contain a Group 13 element, and an insulating material containing a Group 13 element works well with an oxide semiconductor. By using such an insulating material containing a Group 13 element for the insulating film that is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, the state of an interface with the oxide semiconductor layer can be kept well.

An insulating material containing a Group 13 element is an insulating material containing one or more Group 13 elements. As the insulating material containing a Group 13 element, gallium oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum gallium oxide, and gallium aluminum oxide are given, for example. Here, the amount of aluminum is larger than that of gallium in atomic percent in aluminum gallium oxide, whereas the amount of gallium is larger than or equal to that of aluminum in atomic percent in gallium aluminum oxide.

For example, in the case of forming an insulating film in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer containing gallium, a material containing gallium oxide may be used for the insulating film, so that favorable characteristics can be kept at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating film. The oxide semiconductor layer and an insulating film containing gallium oxide are provided in contact with each other, so that pileup of hydrogen at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating film can be reduced. Note that a similar effect can be obtained in the case where an element in the same group as a constituent element of the oxide semiconductor is used in the insulating film. For example, it is effective to form an insulating film with the use of a material containing aluminum oxide. Note that water is less likely to permeate aluminum oxide, and it is therefore preferable to use a material containing aluminum oxide in terms of preventing entry of water into the oxide semiconductor layer.

The insulating film which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 101 preferably contains oxygen in a proportion higher than the stoichiometric composition by heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, oxygen doping, or the like. “Oxygen doping” refers to addition of oxygen into a bulk. Note that the term “bulk” is used in order to clarify that oxygen is added not only to a surface of a thin film but also to the inside of the thin film. In addition, “oxygen doping” includes “oxygen plasma doping” in which oxygen which is made to be plasma is added to a bulk. The oxygen doping may be performed by ion implantation or ion doping.

For example, in the case where the insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed using gallium oxide, the composition of gallium oxide can be set to be Ga₂O_(X) (X=3+α, 0<α<1) by heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere or by oxygen doping. In the case where the insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed using aluminum oxide, the composition of aluminum oxide can be set to be Al₂O_(X) (X=3+α, 0<α<1) by heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere or by oxygen doping. In the case where the insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed using gallium aluminum oxide (aluminum gallium oxide), the composition of gallium aluminum oxide (aluminum gallium oxide) can be set to be Ga_(X)Al_(2−X)O_(3+α) (0<X<2, 0<α<1) by heat treatment in an oxygen atmosphere or by oxygen doping.

By oxygen doping or the like, an insulating film that includes a region where the proportion of oxygen is higher than that in the stoichiometric composition can be formed. When the insulating film including such a region is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, excess oxygen in the insulating film is supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer, and oxygen defects in the oxide semiconductor layer or at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating film are reduced. Thus, the oxide semiconductor layer can be made to be an i-type or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor.

In the case where the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed over the insulating film, the insulating layer which includes a region where the proportion of oxygen is higher than that in the stoichiometric composition may be applied to the insulating film which serves as a base film of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, instead of the insulating film 104, or may be applied to both the insulating film 104 and the insulating film which serves as the base film.

After the insulating film 104 is formed, heat treatment is preferably performed in an inert gas atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere. The temperature of the heat treatment is higher than or equal to 200° C. and lower than or equal to 450° C., preferably higher than or equal to 250° C. and lower than or equal to 350° C. For example, the heat treatment may be performed at 250° C. for an hour in a nitrogen atmosphere. By performing the heat treatment, variation in electrical characteristics of the transistor can be reduced. Moreover, in the case where the insulating film 104 includes oxygen, oxygen is supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer 101 to compensate oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor layer 101, whereby an i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor layer can be formed.

In this embodiment, the heat treatment is performed after the insulating film 104 is formed; however, the timing of the heat treatment is not limited to this. For example, the heat treatment may be performed after the word line or the capacitor line to be formed later is formed.

By performing the heat treatment as described above, the oxide semiconductor layer 101 can be highly purified so as to include substances including a hydrogen atom as little as possible.

Next, the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are formed over the insulating film 104 (see FIG. 3C). The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 can be formed at the same time in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the insulating film 104 and is selectively removed by etching. The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are formed in parallel to one another.

In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m is formed between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and the word line 105 m+1, and the word line 105 m+1 is formed between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and the word line 105 _(—) m.

The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are not limited to a single conductive film, and may have a structure in which a plurality of conductive films are stacked. The plurality of conductive films may have different materials. As the conductive film, at least one of elements such as aluminum, chromium, copper, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, iridium, and tin is contained as its main component. Furthermore, the conductive film can be formed using an oxide or nitride thereof as long as it has conductivity. As examples thereof, an indium tin oxide (ITO), tantalum nitride, and titanium nitride can be given.

The word line 105 _(—) m is formed in a region between the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 a to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m faces not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween. Similarly, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 is formed in a region between the electrode 102 and the electrode 103 b to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 faces not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

On the other hand, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m is formed to overlap with the electrode 103 a. In that case, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m also overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In other words, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m is formed so that the electrode 103 a and the insulating film 104 are located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Furthermore, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m faces the side surfaces of the electrode 103 a and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween. Similarly, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is formed to overlap with the electrode 103 b. In that case, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 also overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In other words, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is formed so that the electrode 103 b and the insulating film 104 are located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Furthermore, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 faces the side surfaces of the electrode 103 b and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

Next, the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 are stacked over the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 (see FIG. 3D). Note that in this embodiment, a structure in which one of the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 is not necessarily formed or a structure of three layers or more in which another insulating film is further formed over the insulating film 108 may be employed.

As each of the insulating films 107 and 108, an insulating film containing silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, aluminum oxide, hafnium oxide, gallium oxide, silicon nitride, silicon nitride oxide, or the like can be used. The insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 may be formed using different materials.

Furthermore, as each of the insulating films 107 and 108, an organic insulating film can be used. As the organic insulating film, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, polyamide, polyimide, or a benzocyclobutene-based resin can be used, for example.

Next, the insulating film 104, the insulating film 107, and the insulating film 108 are etched, so that the contact hole 110 reaching the electrode 102 is formed. The contact hole 110 may be formed in such a manner that the insulating film 104, the insulating film 107, and the insulating film 108 are selectively removed by dry etching.

The contact hole 110 is formed in a region between the word line 105 _(—) m and the word line 105 m+1.

After the contact hole 110 is formed, the bit line 109 n is formed (see FIG. 3E). The bit line 109 n can be formed in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the insulating film 108 and selectively removed by etching. The bit line 109 _(—) n is electrically connected to the electrode 102 through the contact hole 110.

The bit line 109 _(—) n is formed in the direction perpendicular to the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. Furthermore, the bit line 109 _(—) n is formed to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Thus, when the memory cell 100(m, n) and the memory cell 100(m+1, n) are seen from the direction perpendicular to a formation surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, a channel formation region of the transistor 130(m, n) overlaps with a region where the word line 105 _(—) m and the bit line 109 _(—) n are overlapped with each other and a channel formation region of the transistor 130(m+1, n) overlaps with a region where the word line 105 _(—) m+1 and the bit line 109 _(—) n are overlapped with each other.

The bit line 109 _(—) n is not limited to a single conductive film, and may have a structure in which a plurality of conductive films are stacked. The plurality of conductive films may have different materials. As the conductive film, at least one of elements such as aluminum, chromium, copper, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, iridium, and tin is contained as a main component. Furthermore, the conductive film can be formed using an oxide or nitride thereof as long as it has conductivity. As examples thereof, an indium tin oxide (ITO), tantalum nitride, and titanium nitride can be given.

By the above-described method, the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D can be formed. In a memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D, a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is electrically connected to a bit line through a common contact hole; thus, higher integration can be achieved. For example, when the minimum feature size is F, in the memory cell array having the above-described structure, the area occupied by a memory cell can be 8 F^(2.)

Since the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D includes a transistor using an oxide semiconductor, power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2A to 2D includes a relatively large oxide semiconductor layer; thus, even in minute processing, defects due to insufficient adhesion and the like can be reduced. Accordingly, the structure described in this embodiment can achieve high yield and high integration.

Note that this embodiment can be combined with any of the other embodiments as appropriate.

Embodiment 2

In this embodiment, an example of a semiconductor device having a shape different from that in the above embodiment is shown.

A semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention disclosed in this embodiment has a structure in which part of an insulating film included in a capacitor or a transistor is removed and an insulating film provided over a wiring included in the capacitor or the transistor is in contact with an electrode included in the capacitor or the transistor.

An example of the semiconductor device disclosed in this embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4D. Note that the same reference numerals are used for portions in common with those in the above embodiment.

FIGS. 4A to 4D are a top view and cross-sectional views of part of a memory cell array of a semiconductor memory device as an example of a semiconductor memory device of one embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 4A is a top view, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along A-B in FIG. 4A, FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along C-D in FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view taken along E-F in FIG. 4A.

As illustrated in FIG. 4A, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are provided in parallel to one another, and the bit line 109 n and the bit line 109 n+1 are provided along the direction perpendicular to the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. Note that in FIG. 4A, the other components are omitted for simplification.

In this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, the electrode 103 b, an insulating film 104 a, an insulating film 104 b, an insulating film 104 c, an insulating film 104 d, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, the insulating film 107, the insulating film 108, and the bit line 109 n are included (see FIG. 4B).

In other words, in this embodiment, the insulating film 104 a, the insulating film 104 b, the insulating film 104 c, and the insulating film 104 d are provided instead of the insulating film 104 in Embodiment 1.

The insulating film 104 a is provided to overlap with the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and is located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the electrode 103 a or the oxide semiconductor layer 101 in the capacitor 150(m, n).

The insulating film 104 b is provided to overlap with the word line 105 _(—) m and is located between the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the word line 105 _(—) m in the transistor 130(m, n).

The insulating film 104 c is provided to overlap with the word line 105 _(—) m+1 and is located between the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the word line 105 _(—) m+1 in the transistor 130(m+1, n).

The insulating film 104 d is provided to overlap with the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and is located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, and the electrode 103 b or the oxide semiconductor layer 101 in the capacitor 150(m+1, n).

Furthermore, the insulating film 107 is in contact with the electrode 103 a in a region between the word line 105 _(—) m and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the insulating film 107 is in contact with the electrode 103 b in a region between the word line 105 _(—) m+1 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1.

In the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is in contact with the insulating film 107 in a region overlapping with none of the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, that is, a region overlapping with none of the insulating film 104 a, the insulating film 104 b, the insulating film 104 c, and the insulating film 104 d.

The bit line 109 _(—) n is electrically connected to the electrode 102 through the contact hole 110 provided in the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108.

The capacitor line 106 _(—) m is provided to face not only the top surface of the electrode 103 a but also the side surfaces of the electrode 103 a and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 4C). The insulating film 104 a is located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and the side surfaces of the electrode 103 a and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101.

Furthermore, the word line 105 _(—) m is provided to face not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 4D). The insulating film 104 b is located between the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the word line 105 _(—) m.

Similarly, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is provided to face not only the top surface of the electrode 103 b but also the side surfaces of the electrode 103 b and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101. The word line 105 _(—) m+1 is provided to face not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (not illustrated). The insulating film 104 c is located between the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the insulating film 104 d is located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the side surfaces of the electrode 103 b.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the structure in this embodiment is described. The description of the same portions as those in the above embodiment is omitted.

First, the structure illustrated in FIG. 3C is manufactured by the method described in Embodiment 1.

Next, the insulating film 104 is selectively removed by etching using the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 as masks. Regions of the insulating film 104 which are not covered with the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are removed, and the insulating film 104 b overlapping with the word line 105 _(—) m, the insulating film 104 a overlapping with the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the insulating film 104 c overlapping with the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the insulating film 104 d overlapping with the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are formed.

Next, the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 are stacked over the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. The insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 may be formed using a material and a method which are similar to those in Embodiment 1.

The contact hole 110 and the bit line 109 n are formed using materials and methods which are similar to those in Embodiment 1.

By the above-described method, the structure illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4D can be formed. In a memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4D, a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is electrically connected to a bit line through a common contact hole; thus, higher integration can be achieved. For example, when the minimum feature size is F, in the memory cell array having the above-described structure, the area occupied by a memory cell can be 8 F^(2.)

Since the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4D includes a transistor using an oxide semiconductor, power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4D includes a relatively large oxide semiconductor layer; thus, even in minute processing, defects due to insufficient adhesion and the like can be reduced. Accordingly, the structure described in this embodiment can achieve high yield and high integration.

Note that this embodiment can be combined with any of the other embodiments as appropriate.

Embodiment 3

In this embodiment, an example of a semiconductor device having a shape different from that in the above embodiment and an example of a manufacturing method thereof are shown.

A semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention disclosed in this embodiment has a structure in which an electrode included in a transistor and a capacitor which are in a memory cell is provided to overlap with not only a top surface of an oxide semiconductor layer and but also side surfaces thereof

An example of the semiconductor device disclosed in this embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5D. Note that the same reference numerals are used for portions in common with those in the above embodiments.

FIGS. 5A to 5D are a top view and cross-sectional views of part of a memory cell array of a semiconductor memory device as an example of a semiconductor memory device of one embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 5A is a top view, FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along A-B in FIG. 5A, FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view taken along C-D in FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view taken along E-F in FIG. 5A.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are provided in parallel to one another, and the bit line 109 _(—) n and the bit line 109 n+1 are provided along the direction perpendicular to the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. Parts of an electrode 112, an electrode 113 a, and an electrode 113 b are provided also in a region outside the bit line 109 _(—) n in the top view in FIG. 5A.

In this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, the electrode 113 b, the insulating film 104, the word line 105 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1, the insulating film 107, the insulating film 108, and the bit line 109 _(—) n are included (see FIG. 5B).

In other words, in this embodiment, the electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b are provided instead of the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b in Embodiment 1.

The electrode 112 is provided to face not only a top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101.

Furthermore, the electrode 112 may be in contact with an insulating surface on which the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed.

The electrode 113 a and the electrode 113 b are each provided to face not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101.

In that case, the electrode 113 a is located between the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and between the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m. The electrode 113 b is located between the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and between the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. In other words, in the vicinities of the top surface and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 113 a and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m face each other with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween and the electrode 113 b and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 face each other with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

Furthermore, each of the electrodes 113 a and 113 b may be in contact with an insulating surface on which the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed.

An end of the word line 105 _(—) m overlaps with an end of the electrode 112 and an end of the electrode 113 a with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

Similarly, an end of the word line 105 _(—) m+1 overlaps with an end of the electrode 112 and an end of the electrode 113 b with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

In the transistor 130(m, n), not only the word line 105 _(—) m serving as a gate but also the electrode 112 and the electrode 113 a serving as a source electrode and a drain electrode are provided to face a top surface and side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101. A channel formation region of the transistor 130(m, n) is formed in the vicinity of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 which face the word line 105 _(—) m in addition to the vicinity of the top surface thereof, and accordingly, a channel width of the transistor 130(m, n) can be increased.

Similarly, in the transistor 130(m+1, n), not only the word line 105 _(—) m+1 serving as a gate but also the electrode 112 and the electrode 113 b serving as a source electrode and a drain electrode are provided to face a top surface and side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101. A channel formation region of the transistor 130(m+1, n) is formed in the vicinity of the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 which face the word line 105 _(—) m+1 in addition to the vicinity of the top surface thereof, and accordingly, a channel width of the transistor 130(m+1, n) can be increased.

Furthermore, in the vicinities of the top surface and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 113 a and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m face each other with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween and the electrode 113 b and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 face each other with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween; thus, the area of a region where the electrode 113 a and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m face each other and a region where the electrode 113 b and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 face each other are increased, whereby capacitances held by the capacitor 150(m, n) and the capacitor 150(m+1, n) are increased.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the structure in this embodiment is described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6E. The description of the same portions as those in the above embodiments is partly omitted.

First, the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed (see FIG. 6A). The oxide semiconductor layer 101 may be formed on an insulating surface. As examples of the insulating surface on which the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed, a surface of a substrate having an insulating property and a surface of an insulating film can be given as in Embodiment 1.

The oxide semiconductor layer 101 can be formed in such a manner that an oxide semiconductor film is formed using a material similar to that in Embodiment 1 on the insulating surface and selectively removed by etching.

Next, the electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b are formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 6B). The electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b can be formed at the same time in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 101 and selectively removed by etching.

In that case, the electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b are formed to face the top surface and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In other words, each of the electrodes 112, 113 a, and 113 b is formed to include regions which face each other with the oxide semiconductor layer 101 provided therebetween.

Furthermore, each of the electrodes 112, 113 a, and 113 b may be in contact with the insulating surface on which the oxide semiconductor layer 101 is formed.

The electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b can be formed using a material similar to that of the electrode 102, the electrode 103 a, and the electrode 103 b described in Embodiment 1.

Next, the insulating film 104 covering the oxide semiconductor layer 101, the electrode 112, the electrode 113 a, and the electrode 113 b is formed. The insulating film 104 may be formed using a material and a method which are similar to those in Embodiment 1.

Next, the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are formed over the insulating film 104 (see FIG. 6C). The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 m+1 can be formed at the same time in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the insulating film 104 and is selectively removed by etching. The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 are formed in parallel to one another.

In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m is formed between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and the word line 105 m+1, and the word line 105 m+1 is formed between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and the word line 105 _(—) m.

The word line 105 _(—) m is formed in a region between the electrode 112 and the electrode 113 a to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m faces not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween. Similarly, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 is formed in a region between the electrode 112 and the electrode 113 b to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In that case, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 faces not only the top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 but also the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

Furthermore, the word line 105 _(—) m is formed to overlap with an end of the electrode 112 and an end of the electrode 113 a. Similarly, the word line 105 _(—) m+1 is formed to overlap with an end of the electrode 112 and an end of the electrode 113 b.

On the other hand, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m is formed to overlap with the electrode 113 a. In that case, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m also overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In other words, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m is formed so that the electrode 113 a and the insulating film 104 are located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m and the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Furthermore, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m faces side surfaces of the electrode 113 a and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween. Similarly, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is formed to overlap with the electrode 113 b. In that case, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 also overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. In other words, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 is formed so that the electrode 113 b and the insulating film 104 are located between the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 and the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Furthermore, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 faces side surfaces of the electrode 113 b and the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer 101 with the insulating film 104 provided therebetween.

The word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 can be formed using a material similar to that in Embodiment 1.

Next, the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 are stacked over the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1 (see FIG. 6D). Note that in this embodiment, a structure in which one of the insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 is not necessarily formed or a structure of three layers or more in which another insulating film is further formed over the insulating film 108 may be employed.

The insulating film 107 and the insulating film 108 can be formed using materials similar to those in Embodiment 1.

After the contact hole 110 is formed, the bit line 109 n is formed (see FIG. 6E). The bit line 109 n can be formed in such a manner that a conductive film is formed over the insulating film 108 and selectively removed by etching. The bit line 109 _(—) n is electrically connected to the electrode 112 through the contact hole 110.

The bit line 109 _(—) n is formed in the direction perpendicular to the word line 105 _(—) m, the capacitor line 106 _(—) m, the word line 105 _(—) m+1, and the capacitor line 106 _(—) m+1. Furthermore, the bit line 109 _(—) n is formed to overlap with the oxide semiconductor layer 101. Thus, when the memory cell 100(m, n) and the memory cell 100(m+1, n) are seen from the direction perpendicular to a formation surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 101, a channel formation region of the transistor 130(m, n) overlaps with a region where the word line 105 _(—) m and the bit line 109 _(—) n are overlapped with each other and a channel formation region of the transistor 130(m+1, n) overlaps with a region where the word line 105 _(—) m+1 and the bit line 109 _(—) n are overlapped with each other.

The bit line 109 _(—) n can be formed using a material similar to that in Embodiment 1.

By the above-described method, the structure illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D can be formed. In a memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D, a pair of memory cells adjacent to each other in the bit line direction is electrically connected to a bit line through a common contact hole; thus, higher integration can be achieved. For example, when the minimum feature size is F, in the memory cell array having the above-described structure, the area occupied by a memory cell can be 8 F^(2.)

Since the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D includes a transistor using an oxide semiconductor, power consumption can be reduced.

In addition, the memory cell array having the structure illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D includes a relatively large oxide semiconductor layer; thus, even in minute processing, defects due to insufficient adhesion and the like can be reduced. Accordingly, the structure described in this embodiment can achieve high yield and high integration.

Note that this embodiment can be combined with any of the other embodiments as appropriate.

Embodiment 4

A central processing unit (CPU) can be formed using the semiconductor memory device described in any of Embodiments 1 to 3 for at least part of the CPU.

FIG. 7A is a block diagram illustrating a specific configuration of a CPU. The CPU illustrated in FIG. 7A includes an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 1191, an ALU controller 1192, an instruction decoder 1193, an interrupt controller 1194, a timing controller 1195, a register 1196, a register controller 1197, a bus interface (BUS I/F) 1198, a rewritable read only memory (ROM) 1199, and a ROM interface (ROM I/F) 1189 over a substrate 1190. A semiconductor substrate, a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, a glass substrate, or the like is used as the substrate 1190. The ROM 1199 and the ROM interface 1189 may be provided over a separate chip. Needless to say, the CPU in FIG. 7A is just an example in which the configuration has been simplified, and an actual CPU may have various configurations depending on the application.

An instruction that is input to the CPU through the bus interface 1198 is input to the instruction decoder 1193 and decoded therein, and then, input to the ALU controller 1192, the interrupt controller 1194, the register controller 1197, and the timing controller 1195.

The ALU controller 1192, the interrupt controller 1194, the register controller 1197, and the timing controller 1195 conduct various controls in accordance with the decoded instruction. Specifically, the ALU controller 1192 generates signals for controlling the operation of the ALU 1191. While the CPU is executing a program, the interrupt controller 1194 judges an interrupt request from an external input/output device or a peripheral circuit on the basis of its priority or a mask state, and processes the request. The register controller 1197 generates an address of the register 1196, and reads/writes data from/to the register 1196 in accordance with the state of the CPU.

The timing controller 1195 generates signals for controlling operation timings of the ALU 1191, the ALU controller 1192, the instruction decoder 1193, the interrupt controller 1194, and the register controller 1197. For example, the timing controller 1195 includes an internal clock generator for generating an internal clock signal CLK2 based on a reference clock signal CLK1, and supplies the internal clock signal CLK2 to the above circuits.

In the CPU illustrated in FIG. 7A, a memory element is provided in the register 1196. As the memory element in the register 1196, the semiconductor memory device described in any of Embodiments 1 to 3 can be used.

In the CPU illustrated in FIG. 7A, the register controller 1197 selects operation of retaining data in the register 1196 in accordance with an instruction from the ALU 1191. That is, data is retained by an element which inverts the polarity of a signal or by a capacitor in the memory element included in the register 1196. When data is retained by the element which inverts the polarity of a signal, a power supply voltage is supplied to the memory element in the register 1196. When data is retained by the capacitor, the data in the capacitor is rewritten, and supply of the power supply voltage to the memory element in the register 1196 can be stopped.

The power supply can be stopped by a switching element provided between a memory element group and a node to which a power supply potential (VDD) or a power supply potential (VSS) is supplied, as illustrated in FIG. 7B or FIG. 7C. Circuits illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7C are described below.

The memory device illustrated in FIG. 7B includes a switching element 1141 and a memory element group 1143 including a plurality of memory elements 1142. Specifically, as each of the memory elements 1142, the semiconductor memory device described in any of Embodiments 1 to 3 can be used. Each of the memory elements 1142 included in the memory element group 1143 is supplied with the high-level power supply potential (VDD) through the switching element 1141. Furthermore, each of the memory elements 1142 included in the memory element group 1143 is supplied with a potential of a signal IN and the low-level power supply potential (VSS).

In FIG. 7B, a transistor whose active layer includes a semiconductor with a wide band gap, such as an oxide semiconductor, is used as the switching element 1141, and the switching of the transistor is controlled by a signal SigA supplied to a gate thereof.

Note that FIG. 7B illustrates a configuration in which the switching element 1141 includes only one transistor; however, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. The switching element 1141 may include a plurality of transistors. In the case where the switching element 1141 includes a plurality of transistors functioning as switching elements, the plurality of transistors may be connected to each other in parallel, in series, or in combination of parallel connection and series connection.

FIG. 7C illustrates an example of a memory device in which each of the memory elements 1142 included in the memory element group 1143 is supplied with the low-level power supply potential (VSS) through the switching element 1141. The supply of the low-level power supply potential (VSS) to each of the memory elements 1142 included in the memory element group 1143 can be controlled by the switching element 1141.

When a switching element is provided between a memory element group and a node to which the power supply potential (VDD) or the power supply potential (VSS) is supplied, data can be retained even in the case where operation of a CPU is temporarily stopped and the supply of the power supply voltage is stopped; accordingly, power consumption can be reduced. For example, while a user of a personal computer does not input data to an input device such as a keyboard, the operation of the CPU can be stopped, so that the power consumption can be reduced.

Although the CPU is given as an example here, the memory element can also be applied to an LSI, e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP), a custom LSI, or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the above embodiments as appropriate.

Embodiment 5

In this embodiment, examples of an electronic device including at least one of the semiconductor memory device and the CPU which are described in any of Embodiments 1 to 4 will be described.

FIG. 8A illustrates a portable information terminal. The portable information terminal illustrated in FIG. 8A includes a housing 9300, a button 9301, a microphone 9302, a display portion 9303, a speaker 9304, and a camera 9305, and has a function as a mobile phone.

FIG. 8B illustrates a display. The display illustrated in FIG. 8B includes a housing 9310 and a display portion 9311.

FIG. 8C illustrates a digital still camera. The digital still camera illustrated in FIG. 8C includes a housing 9320, a button 9321, a microphone 9322, and a display portion 9323.

FIG. 8D illustrates a double-foldable portable information terminal. The double-foldable portable information terminal illustrated in FIG. 8D includes a housing 9630, a display portion 9631 a, a display portion 9631 b, a hinge 9633, and an operation switch 9638.

Part or whole of the display portion 9631 a and/or the display portion 9631 b can function as a touch panel, which enables data input by touching an operation key displayed thereon.

By applying one embodiment of the present invention, the performance of the electronic devices can be improved.

This embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the above embodiments as appropriate.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application serial no. 2013-184202 filed with Japan Patent Office on Sep. 5, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor layer; a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode over the semiconductor layer, wherein the second electrode is between the first electrode and the third electrode; a first insulating film over the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode; a first wiring overlapping the first electrode with the first insulating film therebetween; a second wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the first insulating film therebetween, in a first region between the first electrode and the second electrode; a third wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the first insulating film therebetween, in a second region between the second electrode and the third electrode; a fourth wiring overlapping the third electrode with the first insulating film therebetween; a second insulating film over the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring; and a fifth wiring over the second insulating film and electrically connected to the second electrode through a contact hole in the second insulating film, wherein the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring are parallel to one another, and wherein the fifth wiring is perpendicular to the first wiring.
 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode faces a top surface of the semiconductor layer and a side surface of the semiconductor layer.
 3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first wiring faces a top surface of the semiconductor layer and a side surface of the semiconductor layer.
 4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second wiring is electrically connected to a word line driver circuit, and wherein the fifth wiring is electrically connected to a bit line driver circuit.
 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the contact hole is located between the second wiring and the third wiring.
 6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode is in contact with the semiconductor layer.
 7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, further comprising an interlayer insulating film over the second insulating film, wherein the fifth wiring is located over the interlayer insulating film.
 8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the second wiring partly overlaps the first electrode and the second electrode.
 9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises indium and zinc.
 10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first wiring overlaps the semiconductor layer, and wherein the fourth wiring overlaps the semiconductor layer.
 11. A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor layer; a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode over the semiconductor layer, wherein the second electrode is between the first electrode and the third electrode; a first insulating film over the first electrode; a second insulating film over the semiconductor layer, in a first region between the first electrode and the second electrode; a third insulating film over the semiconductor layer, in a second region between the second electrode and the third electrode; a fourth insulating film over the third electrode; a first wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the first electrode and the first insulating film therebetween; a second wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the second insulating film therebetween; a third wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the third insulating film therebetween; a fourth wiring overlapping the semiconductor layer with the third electrode and the fourth insulating film therebetween; a fifth insulating film over the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring; and a fifth wiring over the fifth insulating film and electrically connected to the second electrode through a contact hole in the fifth insulating film, wherein the first wiring, the second wiring, the third wiring, and the fourth wiring are parallel to one another, and wherein the fifth wiring is perpendicular to the first wiring.
 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the first electrode faces a top surface of the semiconductor layer and a side surface of the semiconductor layer.
 13. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the first wiring faces a top surface of the semiconductor layer and a side surface of the semiconductor layer.
 14. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the second wiring is electrically connected to a word line driver circuit, and wherein the fifth wiring is electrically connected to a bit line driver circuit.
 15. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the contact hole is located between the second wiring and the third wiring.
 16. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein each of the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode is in contact with the semiconductor layer.
 17. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, further comprising an interlayer insulating film over the second insulating film, wherein the fifth wiring is located over the interlayer insulating film.
 18. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the second wiring partly overlaps the first electrode and the second electrode.
 19. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises indium and zinc.
 20. The semiconductor device according to claim 11, wherein the first wiring overlaps the semiconductor layer, and wherein the fourth wiring overlaps the semiconductor layer.
 21. A semiconductor device comprising; a first memory cell and a second memory cell each comprising a transistor and a capacitor, wherein the transistors of the first memory cell and the second memory cell share a drain electrode.
 22. The semiconductor device according to claim 21, wherein the drain electrode shared by the first memory cell and the second memory cell is electrically connected to a bit line through a contact hole located over the shared drain electrode.
 23. The semiconductor device according to claim 21, wherein the transistor of the first memory cell and the transistor of the second memory cell comprise a common semiconductor layer.
 24. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein a capacitor line electrically connected to the capacitor in the first memory cell is located over the common semiconductor layer.
 25. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, wherein the common semiconductor layer comprises indium and zinc. 